Welcome once again to One-Shots, where we prefer railguns and headshots to rocket launchers and splash damage.
This episode is our first Reader Response episode, thanks to a suggestion made back in Episode 5. If you have suggestions for themes or books to cover, don't hesitate to leave comments. They're probably going to find their way into a future episode.
So, if I can show my age for a bit, the first thing that came to mind when thinking about this episode is a 1980s movie that really hasn't aged well. The Running Man stars Arnold Schwarzenegger (in his pre-Governor, Terminator-star heyday) as the contestant on a "game show" whose entire premise is to kill him live, on television. The supporting cast includes icons of the past (for then), including Jesse "The Body" Ventura (also in his pre-Governor days), Mick Fleetwood (of Fleetwood Mac), and Richard Dawson (of "Family Feud" fame).
The books in this episode are better than the movie. Then again, the movie is also based on a book written by Stephen King of the same name, so maybe the adaptation was just not up to the source material.
Either way, the situations in these books all sound eerily familiar...
The Hunger Games: One from each of twelve districts, a boy and a girl, to fight each other until one is crowned victor. How long will it be before the rebellion rises again?
Warning - this is not for the squeamish, nor for anyone who might be offended or triggered by prolific violence and/or sexual content. Respect the mature content label on this one, it's well-earned.
Battle Royale: A high school class is selected to participate in a kill-or-be-killed tournament, and along the way, we learn not only about the Program, but delve into the psyches of the participants. Will anyone get away from the nightmare alive?
The Maze Runner: Thomas woke up in the Glade with no memory of anything but his first name. Outside, a constantly-shifting maze with danger and peril. Inside, a group of boys tasked with solving the maze...and a girl with an ultimatum: Solve the trials...or die trying. Getting through the maze, though, is just the beginning...
That's this episode's sequences for you - all series this time around, it looks like. As always, if you have comments, suggestions, kudos, raspberries, or any form of feedback about our selections here on One-Shots, leave us a comment. We promise to read them, honest.
If you haven't yet done so, sign up for Summer Reading 2011 and get working on those reading logs. Drawings for prizes will be happening soon, but only those who have completed at least one reading log and turned it in to a Pierce County Library are eligible.
See you in the next episode!
